Page 82 of Dangerous Play

“I was going to say... it felt like you stopped pleasing everyone and used a different strategy,” Liam finished his sentence as he approached me, and the game resumed, all of us settling into comfortably passing the ball between us just to kill time as the opponents ran between us.

“Yeah, maybe I just stopped giving a fuck about what everyone thinks,” I muttered as I kicked the ball away when the defender approached.

Liam scoffed, and we watched as Oliver caught the ball and passed it to Maddox. It was a fun little game to play, but for the first time in my life, I wanted the game to be over.

I was expecting a more exciting or tougher final. Yeah, breaking through their defense was not easy, but it wasn’t impossible. The game against the Lions was way more challenging.

Maddox jogged over to me, playing the ball between his feet with some cool foot movement before he passed it on.

I took a deep breath and played the opponent a bit, moving the ball at impossible lightning speed, doing my favorite tricks, and confusing him before I laughed and moved the ball to Micah.

That was why I loved soccer—the adrenaline rush I got when I moved the ball like that. There was nothing better than it.

“Ivy isn’t here,” I muttered to Maddox as I walked over to him. I should have probably run, pretended like this game was still ongoing when we all resigned and believed in our win. “I just looked up.”

Maddox swore under his breath and stopped next to me. “Listen, I know you are upset over it, but you practically ghosted her. And while Nova went to talk to her, I doubt she felt welcomed to come. But after the game, I can help you write a message and—”

My eyes caught movement behind Maddox, and I narrowed my eyes at Coach Parker. I didn’t even realize both of us had stopped to chat, and Coach seemed pissed off about it.

“What?” I shrugged, staring at him, just as Maddox grabbed my shoulder and turned me toward the game.

Micah lost the ball, and the opposing team was running away with it toward our goal.

“Fuck,” I swore as we both broke into a sprint to catch up with the other players. Liam and Andrew were closing in on the guy with the ball, while Aaron and Hudson did their best to position and block. But by changing the strategy, we only had two defenders, and our whole strategy was built on the midfield not letting go of the ball possession. Micah clearly fucked up, which happened because he wasn’t as used to playing as we were. He was never a starter.

It happened because I stopped to discuss my non-existent love life with Maddox. Both of us were more focused on what to do with Ivy than on the finals.

“Max to the right,” Maddox shouted ahead, his voice reaching me as I rounded the other players to the right. I was surprisingly damn fast, and while my thoughts about Ivy might have doomed us, she helped me improve tremendously.

I was in line with the guy who was about to reach our goal line and score. And with no defense there to stop it, it was up to me to somehow take the ball.

The distance between us was getting smaller as my thighs burned from the incredible speed I pulled from my reserves, but I was still far from catching up and kicking the ball from him. There were not that many options—just one that I had never pulled off.

I tried it once and almost ended up in the hospital with an injury, but it was now or never.

I almost won the finals for the team, but if I lost it because I lost focus—the one thing Ander wanted for me to do—I was never going to forgive myself.

With a deep breath, I pumped my legs as fast as I could and pushed off the ground, landing headfirst on the grass right next to the ball and sliding it away from the opponent.

His foot connected with my abdomen as he tripped over my body, not having enough time to register me lying there, and he rolled over me.

The whistle sounded as I lay in the grass and groaned, looking up at the red card held by the referee.

I was expecting a yellow one, but hey, at least I did my best.

Liam and Oliver bent over me and offered me their hands. “That was sick, dude.”

“How the fuck did you run so fast?”

“Not fast enough,” I muttered, twisting my neck from side to side.

“You could have broken your neck,” Maddox said, blowing out a long breath as he caught up to us.

I shrugged and grinned. “Guess I went out with a bang.”

They all laughed, and I saluted them. “Try not to lose the ball again... I can’t leave you guys alone for a second without adult supervision.”

“We’ll try our best, Captain.”

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